A Light Among the Nations

"How Many Jews Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?"

July 31, 2006
Conference Call Summary

For an audio file of the meeting, click the links below:
NOTE: These are very large files and will take a couple of minutes to download.
Call (part 1)     Call (part 2)

Participants included: ALEPH, American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Avodah, B'nai B'rith International, Canfei Nesharim, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Hadassah, Hazon, Hebrew Union College, Hillel, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, Jewish National Fund, Na'amat USA, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, The Shalom Center, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, The National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Teva Learning Center, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Union of Reform Judaism, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Women of Reform Judaism, as well as COEJL affiliates, and JCPA CRCs.

COEJL’s Acting Executive Director, Barbara Lerman-Golomb, kicked off the meeting, noting that there were 100 people on the call, representing hundreds of thousands of Jews. Energetic, committed speakers followed with words of concern, compassion and commitment.

Rabbi Steve Gutow , executive director, Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA),affirmed that this meeting and campaign represented the introduction of the Jewish world to the issue of climate change and the drastic measures needed to address it. Rabbi Gutow read a piece by Nicholas Kristof stressing that climate change is the issue of the century and emphasized that this campaign will spur a movement in the mindset of Jewry. Our teachings, history, and an intrinsic but ineffable idealism call the Jewish people to continually be at the forefront of social action and social justice.

Carl Pope , executive director, Sierra Club, pointed out that in the last 15 years American efforts at global warming have decreased, and noted his failings in his role of helping to stop global climate change. He said that the debate is over whether global climate change exists is clearly over and that now the nature of the conversation has changed to find what actions we can do to stop global warming. He identified global warming, at its heart, to be a moral problem with delayed consequences and noted the Jewish tradition as having a unique moral voice and thus having a particular moral role to play in global climate change.

Paul Gorman , executive director, National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRPE), spoke of what is striking about the faith community and their efforts in global climate change. His vision is for the Jewish community to be seen as a whole community that is integrating individual environmental action across Jewish life. He sees this campaign as connecting the personal and the communal in Jewish life and notices that this is unique even within the faith community. He noted that COEJL needs to make sure there are numerous synagogues and institutions involved in this campaign. He also stressed that the campaign needs to make some serious policy statements.

Rabbi David Saperstein , director, Religious Action Center (RAC) of Reform Judaism, pointed out that people need to see the urgency of this morally compelling issue. He sees climate change as the most religiously intuitive issue of our time.

Barbara Lerman-Golomb then defined the goals of the climate campaign and stated that it is much more than a light bulb project. It contains four aspects: the CFL bulb campaign, “ Greening Synagogues,” “Take your Senator to Synagogue,” and the “Climate Challenge.”

The first part will be getting the bulbs to participants who will be able to order them online or through brochures sent directly to their institution. Power point presentations describing the project and “greening synagogues” information will be sent out to synagogues and institutions nationwide. The bulbs will be installed in conjunction with a huge media event during Hanukkah with congregants, politicians, and lay leaders in attendance. COEJL will work to make the campaign as easy as possible for people to install bulbs, with numbers tracked online to measure the difference we are making in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Each community that wants to participate will need to identify a Point Person to work with COEJL and see the campaign through. The campaign will have its initial big push during the High Holiday season. The Point Person will be responsible for helping make this happen in his or her community. If communities have been “greening” or involved in other energy conservation initiatives including selling bulbs on their own or through public utility rebate programs, COEJL wants to build on those successes and integrate them into this nationwide campaign.

For an audio file of the meeting, click the links below:
NOTE: These are very large files and will take a couple of minutes to download.
Call (part 1)     Call (part 2)